Lost
by forgottensongs
Summary: "I failed to protect you." The shocking death of their nakama leave the Straw Hats drifting aimlessly in dangerous seas as their new Pirate King, unable to be consoled, becomes increasingly estranged. Everything changes when they rescue a strange girl who can't remember anything from her past but for one name: Luffy.
1. Prologue

**{ Prologue }**

 ** _"drunk and pretentious"_**

* * *

"He's late."

Barely heard over the raucous laughter behind her, the orangette's voice is laced with annoyance, a tick having sprouted on her temple. She growls, quickly downing her drink before sliding the mug and her finished plate of yakitori back to the bartender.

The man gives her a knowing look, disappearing in the back with the load before replying, "Sure he's coming at all?"

The young woman sighs, leaning her cheek on a fist and closing her eyes, one slim eyebrow twitching. "He's a moron, but he doesn't forget stuff like this."

"Still. He could've decided he just didn't want to-" His mouth snaps shut under her glare.

Her voice is firm, and her hazelnut orbs narrow with silent threat. "He's coming."

The man quickly nods, sensing the danger before clearing his throat, muttering out an apology. He watches her shoulders relax and her eyes close back shut as he wipes another glass mug with a dry washcloth.

From where he's standing, she's the most striking woman in this whole male-dominant bar. Her pouty lips are tainted a natural soft pink and tousled orange hair flows effortlessly down her back and ample chest. The guy she's been complaining about for the past hour is one lucky bastard. The bartender turns back to get another mug.

After a long minute, Nami opens her eyes to look down at the numerous shopping bags on the floor in front of her stool. She scowls, glancing at the clock again. An hour late. Knowing her captain, he probably got distracted by the meat stands she recalled passing by after her shopping spree across the island. Slender fingers reach up to her bosom, subconsciously feeling for the hidden jewel behind her sundress.

 _Hurry up, idiot._

A new mug of beer, rimmed with fizzing foam, is suddenly placed in front of her. She shoots the bartender a questioning look but all he does is shrug.

"On me."

Never one to refuse free things, Nami mutters a thanks before taking a sip, watching the bartender slip out once more to the back. The beverage is sweeter than she likes, but tastes strangely better. Taking another sip, she turns her head to cast a quick survey of the room. It's long become a habit to check for any potential danger.

Even in the middle of the day, the bar is loud and rowdy, as expected of the pirates and scumbags having gathered in one place. Half of them are drunk, and the other half is getting there. Waitresses prance around in enticing outfits, and raucous jeers follow them as they pass the occupied tables. Indecent and shameless, Nami thinks, but nothing unusual th-

She stiffens. Her gaze shifts to the far corner of the room, where even without activating her Haki she can sense less-than-innocent intentions brewing amongst the group. She swivels back around in her chair, aware of the eyes that follow her movements. If her intuition is right, the men huddled over there are pirates, and they were strong enough to have survived this far into the New World.

Not that she couldn't take them. (The cold metal of her striped clima-tact strapped to her left thigh warned that things would get hot and electric quickly, and it's been a while since Zeus had some fresh air.) Nami just didn't need this right now. She would leave but couldn't think of an efficient way to get out without damaging her 500 thousand beli cargo. So she waits.

They swagger over two minutes later, drunk and pretentious.

"Now what's a beaut like you doin' in the middle of the day, all's alone in a bar?" A voice slurs behind her. Cue the expected snickers from his cronies.

Nami rolls her eyes, taking another nonchalant sip from her mug (six men surrounding her, various sizes and, she guessed, at different levels of drunkenness, strengths yet to be determined). Experience said it was best to play the innocent card, but she's feeling rather irritated at the moment.

She turns, locking eyes with the speaker - possibly the captain with the way he stands so haughtily, one hand in his pocket, a long knife attached to his hip.

"Screw off."

The man - who actually doesn't look much older than her, maybe a couple years older than Sanji and Zoro - chuckles, moving closer, and Nami imagines he must be a stupid kind of drunk to think that her command actually means that she's interested. She scrunches up her nose, eyes watering as the foul stench of alcohol assaults her senses.

He attempts a smirk. "Feisty. But a pretty little thing shouldn't have such a foul mouth." He snickers, arms spread wide as he gestures to his grinning crew. "Leave that to pirates like us, ne?"

Nami almost snorts but manages to keep her face blank, eyes reflecting all the world's boredom.

The man frowns a bit, put off by her lack of reaction to the idea of pirates taking an interest in her (and to herself Nami affirms that he must definitely be stupid if he actually thinks that someone would be surprised about encountering pirates in this half of the Grand Line.) She watches him look down, noticing the shopping bags scattered at her feet.

He looks back up at her with a sly smile. "A tough woman to please, eh?" There's a menacing glint in his eye. "I like myself a challenge."

The orangette scowls as a response but he only leans closer, invading her personal space with his stale breath.

He licks his lips, reddened eyes shamelessly shaping her body. "How's about we take you out of here to have a little fun, hm? You can have all the pleasure you want with us."

Nami's scowl deepens as a slimy hand settles onto her shoulder, metal rings on each finger cold on her skin. She slaps it away before crossing her arms and sending them all a glare that would kill if only she could will it.

"Thanks, but I'm not interested. I'd rather spend my time with some real men."

The cold rejection unsurprisingly garners anger from the group, her cutting words wounding their pride. They growl, and just as their circle tightens, Nami senses a familiar strong presence nearby, and closing in.

 _Finally._

The biggest of the group sneers at her, pudgy face a startling red. "Watch your mouth, bitch."

It goes unnoticed by them that the men and women standing close to the entrance of the bar start to foam at the mouth before falling to the ground, unconscious.

Nami doesn't spare the bigger guy a glance, speaking only to the leader who had the gall to even approach her. His face is scarlet with anger, mouth set into a gritting frown, unable to respond to her taunt.

She huffs. All talk, after all.

She rises from her seat. "I'll be taking my leave now."

She stoops down to take her bags and makes to push past the leader when she hears the silent intention of one of the men in the group. Her eyes widen, hands flying to her clima-tact but realizing too late that they're weighed down by her load. She curses, stepping back, bumping into her stool, but the heavyset man is surprisingly fast, side-stepping his captain, his clenched hand swiping through the air -

It never reaches her.

A poignant quiet hangs in the air, like all sound had shrunk into a noiseless speck.

A disturbed cloud of dust settles back onto the wooden floor.

The few men and women who haven't fallen unconscious stare at the scene in front of them, sobering quickly, eyes wide with a mixture of gross fear and awe. Those who try to move, even to stumble back, find that they can't - they are paralyzed, gaping at the scene in front of them. Their mouths move up and down but no sound comes out.

(Because it can't be-)

(Not here-)

Belatedly, the group of pirates who converged on the young woman found that there was someone in the center that wasn't there a second ago. Confusion, then a sudden cold fear grips them by their throats.

The gold-rimmed black coat on the newcomer's shoulders waves from the slight breeze created by his movements. His head is bent down, dark eyes shadowed by the telltale straw hat that sits on a head of wild black hair. His mouth is turned down in a frown. A single hand grips the bigger man's wrist effortlessly, whose own hand shook, centimeters away from the young woman's arm.

The bar is enveloped in complete silence. Then -

"You're late."

The Pirate King raises his head, burning black eyes shifting to the young woman who addressed him. The bar occupants watch as his eyebrows slowly scrunch together and, to their bafflement, his mouth forms into a pout. (It's so inappropriate in the tense situation and so contradictory of the powerful aura he emits that it's almost comical.)

"Gomen, Nami," he almost whines. His gaze shifts back to the man who's wrist he still held, pinning him under his glare. Luffy scowls, now, voice hard.

"I couldn't refuse free meat."

Nami rolls her eyes. "Baka."

She sighs again, but her lips twitch upwards to a small smile. "But I guess it couldn't be helped."

She ducks under her captain's steady arm, picking up her dropped bags once more. She twists agilely through the frozen group of men before turning back to him, out of the circle. "I was going to make you owe me 100,000 belli but these guys were more than enough."

Luffy only grunts, still staring the bigger man down. His voice is low. "They've still gotta pay."

Audible gulps are heard as well as gasps of recognition, the shocked whispers having arisen after Luffy said her name. Their epithets are voiced softly from the mouths of the lesser pirates, spreading like the plague.

Nami marvels at how they've managed to not be recognized for this long. Three days. It's a wonder, really. Then again, no one really expects them to look so young, even with their bounty pictures. Or to be out vacationing in such a big country instead of running away from marines. But those two things usually lead people to underestimate the very crew that shook the world.

Nami smirks. It's always a damning mistake.

"It's… it's the Pirate King…Monkey D. Luffy..."

"Dorobo no Neko Nami…n-no way… is the rest of his crew here too?"

"A bounty over 2 billion..."

"What's he doing here?"

Said Pirate King scowls harder. On his way here… He didn't like what he sensed. And if he had come a second later…

"What exactly," the captain of the Straw Hats starts, and the big man lets out a small yelp as Luffy tightens his grip on his wrist, "were you planning to do with my navigator?"

A bead of sweat rolls down his bald head. The man licks his lips, mouth dry. "I-"

But the straw hat man is already digging his thumb into a spot into his wrist, forcing him to open his hand-

From her spot near the door, Nami can see the wet cloth drop on the wooden floor, the strong chemical smell filtering through her captain's nose, and any idiot could figure out what that was meant for...

The pending silence screeches guilty guilty guilty.

Everyone seems to be holding their breath as Luffy looks each man in the eye, steeling each to their spots by his own will.

He lets go of of the man's wrist. The man stays in his vulnerable position.

Nami blinks.

Then the ceiling explodes.

The whole bar groans as large wooden shards rain down from above. The people who are the closest to the group and still conscious cover their heads as dangling lights crash into sparks onto the floor beside them. They still can't seem to move from their spots.

It takes Nami a moment to realize that Luffy had punched the man through the ceiling, and the force of it had ripped off the whole roof of the bar. She sweatdrops. (Because that was him holding back. A lot back.)

She can see through one of the cracked windows the shopkeepers poking their heads outside of their doors, no doubt wondering what all the ruckus is. Bystanders outside scream as debris seemingly from the sky crash onto the ground and some on their merchant carts.

Nami looks back at Luffy just in time to see him turn to the pale-faced bartender who had kept her company in the last hour.

"Sorry about the roof."

He doesn't wait for a response before turning back to the other men, the wicked grin under his shadowed eyes somehow more terrifying than the anger that had been on his face. Luffy cracks his knuckles.

"Who's ass is next?"

* * *

He makes quick work of the other five, and makes it especially clear he doesn't like the leader by prolonging a severely one-sided fight rather than knocking him out in one go like the others.

Nami, meanwhile, takes advantage of the stupefied pirates to gather more loot before stepping outside to wait, bags in tow. A crowd is gathering quickly near the unhinged doors, surrounding the fallen and bruised body of one of the men, and while they're distracted, Nami searches for possible routes of escape. The marines are probably going to arrive soon.

A minute passes, then two, and the throng of people grows bigger. She senses their unease. Nami isn't too worried, but she wonders what the crew will think when she comes back with marine officers tailing them back to the ship - she had, after all, told them to leave Luffy to her. But they all know by now that words like that are just said, to be said, and not actually applied. A small grin adorns her face.

For who can control the Freest man in all the seas?

And with that thought, the bar collapses. It's structure caves in, all creaking metal and crackling wood, but with the roof gone, the broken pieces form an open square, revealing what is at its center.

There stands the bartender, still behind an intact counter, the waking and conscious pirates and waitresses scrambling to get up and away, and around them, overturned tables and broken chairs.

And of course, there's Luffy.

While the crowd moves back, coughing from the dust, Nami stays where she is and watches as he dusts off his coat with one hand, straw hat in the other.

Nami squints as one of the waitresses picks up a den den mushi. She lets out an annoyed sigh.

"You know they'll be calling the marines now, right?" she calls to her captain, the crowd murmuring behind her.

Luffy strolls towards her, flip flops lightly tapping the ground and kicking up more dust. "Yup."

"And we'll probably on the run for the next couple of days again."

"Hm," he nods, taking some of the bags from her hands.

She feels a tick sprout on her forehead again. "The log pose hasn't even set yet."

He looks at her, eyebrows clouded in yellow dust, and grins before shoving the hat down on her head. "That's fine. I've got the best navigator."

And just like that, her anger and annoyance disappears. She sighs, punching him half-heartedly on the head. "Let's go, moron."

 _Thank you._

Luffy's grin widens and Nami doesn't have to wonder how he knows. He just does.

She points to the far west. "The ship's that way. We can slip through one of the alleys and-"

But he;s already chuckling and Nami reads his intentions too late as he hikes the bags up onto his shoulder and wraps his arm tightly around her waist, another arm stretching back only to sling forward to grab onto a building.

"Luffy!" She shrieks, pushing vainly at his arm. " _No_!"

"Shishishi! Hold on tight," is the only warning he gives before they're flung across the town, Nami screeching all the way.

* * *

When the crowd is gone and the marines in pursuit of the infamous pirates, he walks over to a visible pair of limp legs and kicks them.

"Oi, you awake?"

The rest of the body is underneath a pile of rubble and wood but he hears the man let out a muffled grunt.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He touches one of the pieces of wood and watches as the rubble slowly sizzles away under his power, the sun above bright and intense. He stops when he sees skin. Bruised skin. Bloody, too.

"Geez, boss, I haven't seen you look this bad since… well since forever. He messed you guys up bad. "

The drunken man flips him the middle finger. The bartender grins in response.

"Shut the fuck up and help me up," his captain slurs.

"Yeesh, cranky." Still, he does as he's told, grabbing the front of the man's bloody t-shirt and hoisting him up with one arm.

The bartender steps back as his leader reels forward, groaning, an arm around his chest. But there's a mad grin on his face.

"Damn!" He laughs. "He broke my ribs! Haven't felt that in a while."

"Well, what did you expect?" a new muffled voice asks from a similar pile of large debris. "You're lucky he didn't kill you right then and there, with your body already so weakened."

"I told you it was a bad idea," a female voice whines from near the upturned tables. She sits on a curved pipe, a den den mushi in her hand. The former waitress rolls her eyes. "I mean, chloroform? How original."

"They fell for it, didn't they?" the man retorts, his voice calmer. The bartender watches as his captain pulls off the metal rings off his fingers, one by one. They clang as they hit the ground, revealing how heavy they were.

Then he gazes in awe as the bruises slowly start to recede, seeping back into his skin like it never existed, and the formerly drunken man stood tall, ribs apparently healed, eyes shining with excitement.

"Get up you lazy asses. We finally got a taste of who we're dealing with," the captain announces. "Which makes it all the more crucial we don't mess up the plan."

The other fallen men and another disguised waitress begin to get up, pushing the debris off their bodies effortlessly. They stand around their captain in a circle as a whole crew.

"Of all your dead-end plans, this one is particularly suicidal," the other waitress criticizes, chewing on a piece of gum.

"Gotta agree with the Stick this time, captain," the big bald one who had been punched through the ceiling says, groaning as he cracks his back into place. "Mugiwara no Luffy is the Pirate King for a reason. He's survived a war with the government and has fleets ready to defend him with their lives. Mess with him, end up in the infirmary for a year. Mess with his _nakama_ -"

"Which is why we can't get caught," the captain affirms. "The plan's already in motion. Did you do it, Jiro?"

The bartender, Jiro, nods. "Done."

"Then let's set sail and follow them." He grins, a hand on the handle of his knife, facing the setting sun.

"Things are going to get a lot more interesting."

* * *

 **:)**

 **-** _ **forgottensongs**_

 **Edited: 07/19/18** (past tense to present tense, minor changes :P)


	2. Before and After

**Warning: Slight spoilers for those who haven't read OP chapter 897+. This chapter is my own version of events that happen, but there are still elements of the manga in there.** (but who cares? keep reading ;P)

* * *

 **Ch 1 : _before and after_**

* * *

Before, Nami was okay with being one of the weaker ones in the crew.

After all, it wasn't necessarily an insult - it was just stating the facts:

She didn't have superhuman strength like the monster trio and Jimbei; she didn't have the powerful abilities of devil fruit users like Robin, Chopper, or Brook; and even Usopp - the cowardly sniper she had related to in terms of disadvantaged strength - went on to develop Haki.

That didn't mean she wasn't strong - far from it. It was simply that, compared to the unbelievable feats her nakama have accomplished, an act like single-handedly facing off three aggressive Sea Kings fell under child's play (though it didn't lessen the pride she felt at the end of the tussle when Sanji announced her haul would feed them for at least a week).

Despite her lack of the aforementioned abilities, Nami knew the others also relied on her second-to-none navigational skills to make it through the most unpredictable of seas, which was a battle in itself with its ever-changing weather patterns and tumultuous currents. In an actual fight, she found her Sorcery Clima Tact and sharp intellect enough to make her a threat to formidable foes. She knew her limits and recognized when she needed her nakama for protection - and they shielded her without complaint (most of the time) because they knew she wasn't a frontline fighter. It was how they worked, and they worked relatively well.

As a result, Nami felt satisfied with where she was. Excluding the periodic upgrade to her weapon and gradual progress in basic close combat skills, nothing changed.

Until, abruptly, everything did.

* * *

It's at dinner - when Usopp is sabotaging his own takoyaki with a drop of his Ultimate Revenge Tabasco Fire as Sanji, balancing a tray containing seven glasses of juice on his left palm, stabs at the blur of a rubber hand with a fork for coming too close to his Robin-chwan's plate before yelling to the marimo to eat first before drinking that whole bottle of sake or he swears he'll prohibit the drink for a _month_ \- that Nami begins to feels strange.

Her reprimand is stuck to her throat as the tingling sensation makes itself comfortable in her belly. She scowls down at it.

"Nani…?"

Beside her, Zoro is blatantly ignoring the cook only to have the half-empty bottle swiped from his hand by an exasperated Chopper, who begins to lecture him about damage to his liver while Brook comments how he doesn't have to worry about such things because he doesn't have a liver ( _yohohoho!)._

She quickly thanks Sanji when he places a full glass of mikan juice in front of her, his swooning declarations barely heard over the sudden throbbing at her temples. She takes the drink and gulps it down, hoping to cool the now burning sensation, but without warning it intensifies.

Her hand clutches at her stomach, fork clattering on her plate, fingers digging through her blouse, breathing hard through her nose. A wave of heat shoots through her, before a gripping cold wracks her body with violent shivers.

She doesn't notice when all ongoing activity stops and the table grows silent.

"Nami?" Robin's voice on her other side is wrought with worry, and she places a warm hand on the orangette's hunched back. "Are you alright?"

Beads of sweat now forming on her forehead, Nami looks up to find them all staring at her with various looks of concern. Luffy is frozen mid-bite into his meat, eyes searching. She takes a deep breath to control her breathing then flashes all her nakama a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. Just a little stomach ache."

Robin's eyebrows quirk up. "Is it…"

She doesn't say the rest but Nami knows what she's implying. She shakes her head no because the sensation is nothing like the cramps she expects every month. Nami winces as it pierces again - it's actually worse.

Chopper's already squirming out of his seat, pulling a stethoscope seemingly out of nowhere. He places the bell up to her abdomen. "Are you sick again, Nami?"

"Again?" Jinbe echoes, eyebrows scrunched in a deep frown.

"She got sick once when we were traveling on the first half of the Grand Line," Usopp explains to the four crewmembers who hadn't yet joined at the time. "We didn't have Chopper at the time so she came really close to dying. Of course, I, the Great God Usopp knew everything would be-"

"I was just bitten by some prehistoric bug that time," Nami cuts in, shooing away the fretting doctor. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Chopper's reindeer ears twitch. "I can't tell if it's something serious because your body's already started to digest the food," he says seriously. "Can you describe how it feels?"

Nami bites her lip, not wanting to worry her nakama more than necessary over something that's probably nothing. "It's really not a big deal, just a bit of burning. I must've eaten something spicy."

Chopper looks skeptical. "Really?"

"Mm," Nami nods slowly, thinking. "Come to think of it, I ate at a bar earlier. It might've been something there."

Sanji's ears twitched.

"Nani?" came his low, shocked voice before he's abruptly kneeling in front of her, head bowed, holding her hands in his.

He looks down and Nami blinks at the tears threatening to flow down his face. "My dear Nami-san… forgive me. It was my duty to provide you with the freshest, most delicious of meals when you so desired and I've failed. You had to rely on idiots who served you whatever stale ingredients they could microwave in their kitchen and-"

He spiels on and Nami sweat-drops, sliding her hands tentatively out of his, but he looks so crestfallen at his apparent failure to tend to her basic needs that she feels compelled to rest his soul. She sighs exasperatedly. "It's alright, Sanji-kun-"

"Looks to me like she got sick _after_ she ate your food, swirly-brow," Zoro remarks, and Sanji predictably rises to the bait, whirling around to face the swordsman.

"What was that, baka-marimo?! I'd never disgrace food or Nami-san like that-"

"That's not it," Nami dismisses, defusing the coming fight. "Sanji-kun's food was delicious as always-"

"Nami-swannn~ I don't deserve such praise from a goddess like yourself~"

"-and in any case the feeling's gone now."

And it's true. All that's left now of the initial sizzling pain is bone-deep fatigue, which doesn't surprise her when she thinks back to the day's harrowing adventures.

She stands up and stretches languidly, stifling a huge yawn. "I think I just need some rest."

She's startled when a rubber arm suddenly stretches across the table to slap a palm onto her forehead. "Hmmm… no fever this time," Luffy murmurs.

Nami resists the urge to roll her eyes, lips tugging at a smile. "I'm fine, captain. Really."

Luffy's hand snaps back to his arm before he purses his lips, his head cocked to the side as he assesses her.

"Okay," he states simply, going back to devouring his chicken leg before asking with his mouth full, "Can I have the rest of your food?"

Nami does roll her eyes this time but waives him the right and is thankful for his actions, which consequently calms the crew down enough to realize they're leaving their own meals unprotected. She gets two more lingering looks of concern before the chaos resumes.

She heads for the door just as Luffy breathes out a fire that rivals a dragon's and above the crew's loud laughter, Usopp's proud voice crows, "AHA! How do you like the taste of my special Ultimate Revenge Tabasco Fire?"

The door closes behind her and the cluttering of noise is instantly muffled. The air is cool and crisp against her sweaty skin, and a crescent-shaped moon illuminates the dark sea below. Nami breathes in the refreshing night air as she strolls to her and Robin's quarters, the creaking of wood as small waves gently rock the anchored ship rhythmically comforting.

The second she steps into her quarters she strips off all of her clothes and steps into the adjoining bathroom, clambering into the shower and sighing when the warm water rains down on her shoulders.

She's glad Franky finally caved to the idea of installing a separate bathroom for her and Robin - she knows she wouldn't have been able to keep sane in a ship where males outnumber females by four to one and some of those males didn't care enough to knock before barging in the bathhouse like they owned the place (when in fact, half of them bathed only once a week and only when Nami threw them in there after growing tired of their stench). She didn't let any opportunity slip by, however - Luffy is deep in 700,000 beli debt and Zoro's lost ass isn't far behind. Even with all the riches in the world at her fingertips, she still can't help but charge the perpetrators for having a peek (unintentional or not) of the forbidden view.

 _Old habits die hard, I guess,_ she thinks cheekily.

A few minutes later she's toweling off her body when a part of the cotton cloth snags on the locket around her neck. Nami frowns, carefully extracting the pendant from the stubborn strings before slipping on a pearly nightgown and calling it a night. She climbs under her covers, too tired to dry her hair manually, and sighs as she settles into the comforter. She yawns, then blinks away the water in her eyes.

Despite her fatigue, she tries to stay awake for her captain's expected visit - she hadn't miss the flash of panic in his eyes when Chopper had asked if she was sick. Nonchalant as he seemed, she knew he was probably just as worried, if not more, than their nakama - she'd gotten better at reading him these last few years.

On the night before they landed in Alabasta, Vivi had recounted to her how Luffy especially made great efforts to make her feel better again while she had been bedridden, using his rubber ability to make strange faces in an attempt to get her to smile. Even while Nami had groaned as the princess giggled out how the idiot suggested they pour water over her to get her fever to go down, she couldn't deny that the idea of Luffy being all worried about her had made her insides twist and her cheeks warm. She had been right to trust him with the impossible task of climbing a vertical mountain, even in her half-conscious state - and he had saved her life.

The least she can do now, Nami figures as she struggles to keep her eyes open, is beat it into his thick skull that she's fine.

So, rolling over to gaze at the door, she waits. It's hard and every once in a while she jerks awake from a microsleep.

She tries to busy her mind in planning for the weeks ahead. Not that anything _ever_ goes as planned in this crew. She giggles a little at the simple fact before shivering, pulling the covers tighter around her body.

About ten minutes later, the slamming open of the dining room door resounds throughout the ship and Nami's drooping eyelids flutter open.

"Oi!" Franky's rough voice shouts. "Careful with Sunny!"

"Ah, gomen." It's Luffy, his mouth full with something.

"Turning in early, senchou?"

Nami's cheeks warm at the suggestive tone in the archaeologist's smooth voice - she can almost _see_ the teasing smile the dark-haired beauty is wearing.

"Un," Luffy replies simply. "I'm gonna check on Nami."

 _Idiot!_

Her face might as well be a furnace now as she listens to Sanji angrily ordering the rubber man to stay out of the ladies room as Franky and Brook make unnecessary perverted comments about the not-so-secret visit (Nami makes a mental note to deal with them tomorrow). For his credit, Luffy takes it all in stride, laughing their responses away before bidding them goodnight. The closed door muffles Sanji's bitter cries and Zoro's fueling taunts.

Nami doesn't have to activate her Haki to feel his coming presence. If there is one aura she is closely familiar with, it's his. She 'Sees' it as a subtle radiation of the calm, assured power he's earned after becoming Pirate King (ironically contrary to his reckless nature) and surrounding that, a layer that makes him purely Luffy - an adventurous spirit full of love and stubbornness and warmth and simple understanding. It's an aura especially present when he is with his friends and nakama.

But underneath even that is a suppressed force of enormous proportions that Nami can only describe as staggering willpower. She's only ever seen him using it in battle, or when they were in potential danger. Sometimes he emits it subconsciously, like earlier in the bar, when his anger overrode caution. His Haki seems to thrive on sheer power and determination, which Nami assumes has to do with his charismatic ability to draw others to him whilst striking fear into the most ambitious of enemies. She shivers again, but not from the cold - there's an inexplicable exhilaration that comes with being with the most wanted man on both land and sea.

There's a soft knock at her door and Nami smiles when he pokes his head in, a sliver of moonlight shining on the infamous straw hat sitting atop his head.

"Nami?" he whispers, even though he most likely knows she's awake.

"Hai," she answers, suppressing a yawn while shifting to one side.

Luffy steps in, closes the door softly behind him, and walks to her bedside. Without a word, he takes off his hat to place it on her nightstand and slides off his sandals to climb under the covers next to her. She immediately curls into his warmth and sighs as he wraps a rubber arm around her waist and pulls her closer.

He shivers, teeth chattering against her ear. "Geez, you're freezing. You sure you're okay?"

"Urusai," she mumbles against his clavicle, palm splayed on his ragged, faded scar. He smells like the night air and when he speaks she knows he had her mikan pie for dessert.

"You didn't have to wait up for me, ya know."

She hums, squirming to get closer to his radiating heat. Her eyes lazily roll up to meet his grin. "Your mouth still burn?"

He pouts at that. "Usopp's so stingy."

"That's what you get for stealing other people's food," she retorts, "especially since you already get three times the amount than everyone else. Also, you owe me 125,000 belli for that pie."

He shifts back to look at her incredulously. "You said you weren't going to eat it."

"You're lucky I'm not charging you on the rest of my food."

His pout deepens. "You're still stingy too, Nami- itai!" He clutches his head in pain.

"Pirate Kings shouldn't pout," she says, eyes closed, a fisted hand steaming.

"Are you sure you're not using haki?" he whines, rubbing at the bump forming on his head.

"Don't be such a baby," she responds, even as she reaches up to comb her fingers through his hair. His head falls forward and he sighs contentedly in the crook of her neck, the stubble on his chin lightly scratching her skin.

His voice is husky, words slurring in pleasure. "Brook wants to know what color panties you're wearing."

"Tell him I'm not wearing any."

She feels him go rigid against her and he swallows nothing before croaking out, "N-nani?"

She giggles, greatly amused at his reaction. "I'm kidding, Luffy. But tell that pervert that I'm not so that he bleeds to death."

"Oh." He visibly relaxes, then chuckles. "But Brook's already dead, shishishi."

She tugs a little harder at his hair. "Do you want to join him?" she says sweetly, to which Luffy shakes his head vehemently and she goes back to combing his wild strands.

"Sabo's coming tomorrow night," he suddenly announces, voice brimming with excitement. "And Koala."

"Really?" she asked in slight surprise. She had thought they were going to rendez-vous on one of the upcoming islands.

"Un. Jinbe said they called on the Den Den Mushi earlier and were coming with some of the former revolutionaries guys."

Nami can't stop the grin that comes to her face at the news - she can't wait to reunite with them. They had all gone their separate ways after The War, but the bonds created in those bleak times were ones that Nami would never forget.

Her smile falters a bit as a face pops into her head. She hesitates but when Luffy doesn't say it, she ventures out. "...And your dad?"

He sounds unbothered by the sensitive topic. "Jinbe says he's taking care of stuff so he won't be coming with them. He'll be visiting us soon though."

She hums in understanding. Still a wanted man, it makes sense that Dragon would want to lay low in the shadows, especially now as one of the active forces behind the start of the Major Reconstruction. "Anyone else?"

"Hmmmm… I think Hammock and her crew are coming within the next few weeks."

Nami bites her lip, unconsciously tugging at his hair a little harder. "...Is that really a good idea, Luffy?"

He innocently nuzzles her neck, breathes against her skin. "What is?"

She pulls back and fixes him a look that tells him she's serious. "Hancock. I know she's a good ally but... I mean, isn't she in love with you? Doesn't she have some sort of love-sickness disease?"

He frowns. "She's my friend. Besides, I already said I wasn't gonna marry her. She seemed fine, then."

Nami shakes her head. "I don't think it'll be that easy. I've only met her twice and she didn't seem to like me very much."

But to be honest, Nami isn't very fond of the Snake Empress either, what with the way the former Warlord shamelessly behaves around her captain while having no qualms in treating the others like trash.

"Well I didn't like her either at first," Luffy muses. "Actually, I hated her because she tried to kill Marguerite. But then she helped me out with Ace and even helped in this last war so I like her now. She probably hasn't gotten a chance to know you."

Nami snorts, rightly skeptical, but lets it go for the sake of Luffy's simplistic views. "We'll see," she wearily responds, letting him rest his head against her again.

A comfortable silence settles between the two. After a while, Nami's hand starts to slack from its work as she drifts in and out of sleep.

Luffy pulls back and carefully unwraps his arms from her, ready to go back to his room. Nami, half-asleep, protests as his body moves away from her. He rolls out of bed and puts his sandals back on. Nami shifts over to his original spot, curling up above the heat he left on the bed.

Luffy smiles down at her frowning pout. "'Night, Nami."

He kneels down to press a kiss to her lips and she instinctively leans into him, tilting her head to deepen it, but they break apart all too soon.

Nami sinks into her pillow, slurring out, "G'night... Luffy."

He grins. "See ya tomorrow."

He decides to leave his straw hat at her bedside for tonight and the orangette watches through narrowed vision as his blurred silhouette heads out the door.

Her eyes flutter shut.

* * *

The world had stopped.

Everything abruptly shifted in the heart-stopping, terrifying moment her captain tumbled out of Mirror-World, barely recognizable - barely _conscious_ \- his mangled body littered in dark bruises and oozing cuts. The injuries, however, paled in comparison to the gaping hole in his abdomen, and Nami stared at him from the Sunny, horrified as his trembling hand futilely pressed back the shredded flesh and dripping blood.

Luffy collapsed onto the ground, his wounds too great. She heard herself scream his name.

When he didn't move from where he lay prone, Nami had the fleetingly sinful thought that her captain's luck had run out right then and there, that all the hopes and dreams and wishes in the world wouldn't be enough to save him. She gasped out a shuddering breath, eyes wide and pale, her heart having dropped to her twisting stomach from what she dared to envision.(She had nightmares from then on.)

But wait-

His hand moved. Just a tiny bit that she would've ruled out as part of her denial if it wasn't for the shallow trail of blood that was left behind where his fingers slid on the hardened chocolate pavement as they tried to curl into a fist.

The small action was enough - he was alive.

(He was alive... he was alive.)

Nami fell down to her knees, panting, clutching her chest, waving off Carrot's concerned cries and taking a deep, deep breath. Overwhelming relief coursed through her body.

The world was moving again. Somehow, though, it was different, more... _real_.

But it was also familiar, Nami thought, in a way she hadn't felt since she witnessed her mother being shot in cold blood, right in front of her eyes. It was a reminder, she concluded, that the people she cared about were not invincible, no matter how much of a front they put up that made her naively think - made her _believe_ \- that they were. In truth, they were painfully human, and just like Belle-mere, they could disappear from her life forever. _Luffy_ could disappear from her life forever.

As it was, the relief that came from knowing Luffy was alive was squashed by the reality that he was also terrifyingly vulnerable, and a nauseating fear overtook her soul as she raised her head just in time to see the Big Mom Pirates converge on her incapacitated captain.

The rest of it was a blur, the occasional shots of clarity short and jagged in her memories: an angry Sanji-kun appearing out of nowhere, blazing foot burning with renewed passion as he twisted his body in envious agility, his epithetical black leg kicking all of Big Mom's sons and daughters away from his captain, black cape flying-

\- Sanji's older siblings, a flash of sparking red and icy blue as they helped clear a path to the damaged Sunny, a whirlpool of pink and green defending their brother from the back-

\- the sound of guns and cannonfire, of her own pulse pounding in her ears as she yelled to the crew to get to the port, hard to starboard-

\- Germa 66 and Jinbe's former crew providing a tight defense as Big Mom's naval fleet moved in on all sides -

\- her own blurring, unsteady hands stained with his blood as Chopper instructed her to hold bandages down, _tight, Nami, tighter, he's lost a lot of blood_...

When they finally made it out of Big Mom's territory, the danger far from over but the growing distance between them ensuring enough safety for them to catch their breath and just _breathe_ ( _breathe_ ) _,_ Nami made herself home in the infirmary.

She settled down in a chair next to Luffy's mummified body, the light of the full moon illuminating half of his patched up face. The image of his grinning face in the glass shard she had held in her hand hours before flashed into her brain. She bit her lip hard and bent closer to his sleeping face, tendrils of her orange hair landing by his ear as her chestnut orbs scoured his peaceful visage. She was close enough to hear his soft snores and feel his warm huff of breath on her cheek.

She opened her mouth and whispered, "Liar."

She wasn't angry at him, though. Far from it.

She leaned heavily back in her chair before taking the straw hat on the nightstand beside the bed, fiddling with its rough patches. The more she thought of what had happened, of what could have gone differently, the more she grew angry at herself for being the reason Luffy had to lie in the first place.

Because she was a worrier, Nami deduced, and weak, and Luffy knew it wouldn't do for his nakama to be distracted while facing off a Yonkou for Oda's fucking sake, so he swallowed up all that pain and threw them all that fake, shit-eating grin of his and told them to hurry up while she- she had the _audacity_ to smile back and expect him to win it, no problem.

And he did, the jerk. He _won_.

She stared at his bandaged chest for a full minute, mimicking the slow rise and fall of his chest in order to calm down.

Somewhere in her mind she knew Luffy would be upset and deny everything she was thinking but either way, Nami wasn't happy. She gazed down at the small scuffs and tears in the straw hat in her lap and thought of how unfair it was for him to put his life on the line every damn time.

Immediately after the thought, though, she shook her head and admonished herself because it was how all of them lived - they weren't pacifists, they were pirates - and she was insane to think that they wouldn't put their all into whatever they were fighting for, whether it be for their dreams or for the people they loved and wanted to protect.

She couldn't ask Luffy not to fight - that would not only be irrational and selfish, but also contradicting to his dream. Luffy aimed to find the One Piece and become Pirate King. He'd have to fight to the top with stronger, meaner rivals aiming for the same goal at every corner now that they were closer to their destination. Nami had known that when she joined his crew and she knew that as she cried at his bedside at the simple fact that he was alive, and had survived his toughest challenge yet.

It was going to be a difficult and dangerous path for all of them and the events that had transpired was eye-opening. Zoro's words from their reunion at Zou came back to hit her with more meaning. They were going to face even stronger opponents, ones that Luffy couldn't all beat even with all his big talk. She wiped her eyes and gazed at him with reddened orbs when he suddenly murmured something in his sleep and upped the volume of his snore.

Her captain would need help, and lots of it.

So something had to change.

She wanted to be an asset to Luffy, not a burden. The others were getting stronger, Nami could see it, while she was falling behind, getting caught in situations they had to save her from. Being their navigator couldn't be an excuse - she couldn't be the weak link that led them to their downfall. She had promised Luffy that she would navigate the seas, to take him wherever he wanted to go, and for that she needed to be strong enough to face the certain danger waiting for them.

Her hands gripped at the rim his straw hat, a frustrated determination rising in her chest. Right then and there, she decided to make a promise. For her nakama. For herself. For Luffy.

 _No more_ , she vowed in the quiet still of the night, watching her captain's bandaged chest shift up and down, a bubble starting to form under a nostril. _I won't be a burden anymore. I won't run away. I'll be right by your side through it all. All of us are. I'm going to help you achieve your dream._

And that's exactly what she did.

* * *

Luffy wakes up in a start.

He blinks multiple times, trying to get his bearings. It's still dark and the moonlight coming through the porthole outlines his nakama's sleeping figures. He yawns widely before frowning in confusion.

Something had woken him up. It wasn't a nightmare, though. He looks down and consciously relaxes his hands, which were clenching the sheets covering him.

Except for the occasional groans, Sunny is quiet. Luffy scratches his head - he doesn't feel hungry, nor does he have to use the bathroom. His frown deepens.

But something is wrong, he's sure of it.

A movement on his left. He turns to find Sanji also sitting up, body rigid in alertness.

And suddenly, Luffy knows what's wrong. It crashes into him, weighing on his chest and senses so heavily that he almost forgets how to breathe through the pain - the feeling of loss.

He whips the covers off of himself the same moment Sanji mutters, "Shit," and Usopp wakes up with a groggy, "What's going on?"

The remnants of sleep are all gone by the time Luffy makes it out the door and across the deck. Zoro is already there, having climbed down from the Crow's Nest, a grave look on his face that doesn't calm Luffy's racing pulse. He can hear Sanji yelling for Chopper to wake up, his voice rough and uncharacteristically panicked.

"No one's on the ship," Zoro says aloud, one hand tightly gripped on Shusui as he follows his captain.

But they all know this. Their Haki would let them know way in advance if an intruder boarded the ship.

And just the same, it tells them when a presence is gone. A light extinguished.

In a flash Luffy bounds the steps to the second floor and slams the doors to the girls' quarters open.

His blood runs cold.

 _Nami._

The room is warmly lit by the lamps and filled with the sound of strained creaking. Robin's head is bent towards the bed, arms crossed in front of her chest, eyes closed in apparent concentration, but Luffy can see the silent tears running down the slope of her nose and her teeth biting down hard on her lip. She's blocking his immediate view but he can see the extra limbs she's created pushing hard and fast on the chest of an unmoving body.

He takes two steps forward, but the battleships tied to his feet make his movements slow and heavy. His heart is lodged in his throat. His eyes glue on to the pale hand hanging limply over the side of the bed, swaying gently with each chest compression.

Then Chopper is there, issuing orders in his monster form, and Luffy can only stare as huge furry hands lift her carefully up - Nami, _his_ Nami, with her vibrant hair still slightly damp and her skin now unnaturally pale - to carry her out of the room to the infirmary.

He follows.

The entirety of the crew is awake now, and they crowd behind Luffy just inside of the doors. Zoro plops himself down in the corner, head bowed, legs criss-crossed on the floor, hands tightly gripped on his knees. The rest of the crew watch Chopper bustling around the room in his doctor-mode, frantically asking questions that no one knew the answer of.

 _What happened?_

 _Was she drugged?_

 _How long was she like this?_

Usopp is beside himself, mouth moving a mile a minute, hands tugging at his hair and clothing in what could only be described as a mental breakdown. "What should we do? What should I do? What should we- Nami- what- how- oh no, no, no Nami-"

" _Usopp_ ," Sanji finally snaps, stressed enough without the sharpshooter's delirious cries. They all feel helpless. He tries and fails to light a cigarette with trembling hands before shoving the lighter into his pocket and chewing hard on the tobacco stick, a sickly expression on his face.

Usopp stops after that but the eerie silence that blankets the room is stifling. Brook's tall figure looms over everyone, hollowed eye sockets peering blankly at the small, pale form on the infirmary bed. Everyone is frozen still. Watching. Waiting.

An agonizing ten minutes pass by. By then, Nami is hooked up to all kinds of IVs and machines and Chopper is giving her his _best_ treatments with what little he knows about her condition. They know this, and yet...

Another ten minutes pass by.

Zoro is the first to move.

He adjusts his swords before slowly standing up from his position on the floor. He walks slowly to the door, every step heavier than the last. Sanji and Franky step quietly to the side to let him through.

When he gets outside, his head tilts up to the moon, now a little lower in the sky. A dark shadow passes over his face and his fingers turn white from the grip he has on the hilt of his sword.

His voice is gruff and strained but the words are still loud and clear.

"Forget it. She's gone."

The answering silence is unbearable, and unable to take it, Zoro walks away from his nakama.

His fading steps trigger something within all of them, and Chopper trembles as he puts down the needle in his hand hard on the table. He reverts back to his original form and turns to the crew with glistening orbs, bottom lip protruding and a line of snot already sliding from his nose.

"M-minna…" he starts, but then raises a hoof to his eyes and outright bawls, shrill and raw and painfully sad, his small form shivering violently.

"G-GOMEENNNN!"

Jinbe turns away. Robin muffles a loud sob, shoulders shaking as a hand presses over her mouth. Franky raises a hand to comfort her but fails as he bursts into tears.

"N-NAMI! SHE'S-!"

Usopp falls to his knees, still clutching his head, eyes wide and tearful. Brook grips his cane as his own silent tears stream down his face.

"I COULDN'T-"

Sanji bows his head, teeth all but grinding on the tasteless stick in his mouth.

"AHHHHHH! I COULDN'T SAVE HER! I'M SORRY!"

And in the middle of the room, the Pirate King stands, the only one not reacting. He's still staring, seeing yet not quite understanding, not quite believing.

"L-Luffy…" Chopper sniffles when his captain walks gently past him, patting him gently on the head.

Luffy looks down at the girl on the bed front of him, hauntingly beautiful in her silky pearl dress, long orange hair splayed around her small frame. His narrowed eyes scan over her face and finds that, except for it being devoid of color, he would have honestly thought she was sleeping.

"You were fine a while ago…" he mutters to no one, a confused frown scrunching his forehead.

Abruptly, he grasps both of her shoulders, lifting her half-up off the bed - he ignores the way her head flops to one side, limp as a rag doll, and how her neck looks so pale and- she was _fine just a while ago_ -

He shakes her, grip hard enough to bruise.

" _Nami_ -"

A hand settles on his shoulder. Luffy doesn't have to see to know that its Jinbe.

"Luffy-kun…" he says.

Luffy doesn't look at him. Doesn't look at any of them. His eyes burn.

Slowly, carefully, he sets her back down on the bed. He climbs up beside her, Jinbe's heavy hand sliding off his shoulder as he scoots closer to her cold frame. He lowers his head down to the familiar junction between her shoulder and neck. His nose meets cold skin.

His hands tangle in her long hair, and holds her body firmly to him as he buries his face further into her neck. He breathes in, one last time, the faint scent of clean soap and tangerines still lingering on her skin.

And then he shatters.

* * *

 **End of Ch 1**

* * *

 **hello! yes, i'm still alive. how have you all been? i got a little side-tracked with life but i can never quite seem to let go of OP or LuNa (not that im complaining).**

 **that said, this chapter was tough, both in content and in writing it in general. hopefully no one's too confused about the time change/flashbacks. if anyone is, don't be afraid to let me know so i can clarify. :)**

 **thank you to those who read, reviewed, faved, followed, etc. during my impromptu hiatus 3** **you are greatly appreciated!**

 **now to work on my other neglected works...**

 **ja ne! :)**

 **\- forgottensongs**


	3. Goodbye

Zoro finds him at the top of a hill, alone and unmoving.

The first mate briefly looks up at the mourning heavens above, gray cumulonimbus rolling and rumbling through the sky, and thinks that it's a good thing Zeus is still housed in that electric death stick, or the weather might've been more deadly than it was now. The individual hairs on the back of his neck rise as high-pitched keens from the Sea Kings below travel to the surface of the ocean and reverberate across the island.

His captain, on the other hand, seems unaware of the influence his turbulent emotions have on the natural world, dark orbs fixed blankly on the marble headstone in front of him even as fierce winds batter at his hair, the gold-rimmed collar of his coat slapping insistently against his jaw.

Zoro's gaze softens upon landing on the string sewn onto Luffy's signature straw hat, bouncing violently against his clothed back. The thin but sturdy thread was the only thing keeping the infamous treasure from flying away and his heart pangs unexpectedly - the witch had done that.

She had always taken care of them.

He treks up the short distance until he's standing next to his seated captain, joining him in staring at the lonely grave. Usopp had crafted a pinwheel to decorate the headstone - something about it making her laugh as a child or something, Zoro recalls - and now it spins wildly against the howling winds. A mikan sits atop two of her most treasured pictures, one of her with the crew after their two-year separation and the other of her younger self with her late mother and older sister. She's laughing in each one, eyes shut tight, pearly whites flashing.

The message he is supposed to deliver is suddenly stuck on his tongue, bitter and heavy. The marble headstone blurs in front of him and Zoro blinks quickly, clears his throat.

"Chopper says she didn't suffer."

It comes out quietly. He's unsure whether Luffy heard him or not above the howling winds and steels himself to say it again when the air around the grave thickens with such overwhelming grief and despair that Zoro actually wheezes out, "Luffy-" before it becomes significantly easier to breathe.

"...Zoro."

Luffy's voice is carefully void of emotion but there is an unadulterated anguish behind his captain's eyes when Zoro meets his gaze.

Zoro bears on. "He told me to tell you that whatever did it... whatever… killed her... did it peacefully enough that it didn't disturb her sleep."

He turns away, eyes shadowed. "She was asleep, captain. Probably didn't feel a damn thing."

Save for the distant rumble of thunder and the howling of the wind, it's silent for a long time. Zoro finds himself shifting uncomfortably.

Where at times he had longed for some peace and quiet on a ship that was too rowdy at times, the past two days of mourning silence on the ship was enough for a lifetime. Although the spell was broken at night, when Brook performed a song on his violin, the heart-wrenching melodies that drifted across the deck did little to lift anyone's mood. No one had the heart to tell him to stop, because it was the only way he grieved.

And they all grieved in their own ways.

In an effort to ward off reoccurring nightmares, Robin had temporarily moved up to the crow's nest, the room where she had discovered Nami's lifeless body now a sinister space. She spent the last two days holed up in the library, nose buried in lengthy books of old. Franky kept himself busy in his workshop, the rhythmic hammering of nails on wood almost manic. He had already built over 20 different weapons only to throw each and every one of them away at sea, claiming that they weren't good enough, that they would never be good enough - for what, he never specified.

Usopp hadn't spoken much since the incident and was either found stooped over Kabuto or tending absentmindedly to his garden, pointedly ignoring the towering grove behind it. Sanji chainsmoked through two packs a day and was a silent drunk at night, his subsequent blackouts a dangerously welcomed respite from the guilt he was experiencing for what felt like every second he breathed (and Nami didn't).

Zoro, on his end, drank twice his usual amount and for once, cursed his tolerance for preventing him from letting go completely, even for a little while. When he wasn't drinking, he was polishing his sword techniques on sea-stone dummies - keeping busy was key, after all. Jinbe had originally joined Zoro on dummy-destroying but abruptly disappeared the day before, only leaving a note that he would be back some time soon but never specifying when. Chopper was a mess in his infirmary, still blaming himself without reason, losing sleep in favor of pouring his soul into all his medical books.

 _As if that'll bring her back_ , Zoro thinks darkly. There wasn't a cure for death. It was final, irreversible.

There wasn't anything anyone could do.

A young girl with somber eyes and dark blue hair unwillingly flashes through his mind.

 _"Humans are such fragile beings, Zoro."_

He scowls, shakes his head in denial of the old man's echoing words.

Nami wasn't fragile. Far from it. It was easy to get it mixed up when she was surrounded by the monsters of a crew that she called family. And the act she would pull about being a delicate little thing served as a masterful way to manipulate others to do her bidding (and didn't he know it). No, they wouldn't have made it this far if she was weak. Her will was anything but, and Luffy probably saw that before anyone else - he was stubborn as hell about only wanting her as his navigator.

Zoro glances down at his captain now, eyeing his hollower cheeks, sharper jawline and the dark crescents that nestled underneath his bloodshot eyes. It was evident that Luffy hadn't been eating, much less sleeping and it'd be a lie if Zoro said he wasn't worried about him.

Everyone dealt with the impact in their own way. Dysfunctional? Definitely. But at least making an effort to cope. Luffy, however…

That night - the night Nami died - it had taken Robin's _gigantesco-mano_ , Franky's sea-stone chains and Chopper's strongest sedative to finally put their captain to an involuntary rest. And by then, a horde of sea kings had already responded to his Voice. If not for Jinbe's strict guidance, Sunny would have had more than just a crack in its hull in her escape from the swinging tails and thrashing waves.

Zoro's not sure what kind of damage Luffy would have done that night, should they have not been so quick to detain him. And from what Jinbe had told him about how Luffy had reacted from Ace's death, Zoro's certain he never wants to witness the full extent of Luffy's grief.

He still couldn't get the screams out of his head.

" _Gomen_...Nami." Luffy's hoarse voice breaks Zoro out of his dark recollection.

His captain's eyes are shadowed by his unkempt bangs, fingers curled deep into the dirt as he speaks. "...I couldn't keep my promise to you... I'm sorry."

There's a pause as Luffy takes a deep breath and raises his head and Zoro can only stare, a heavy weight settling on his chest, as a strained grin stretches across the rubber man's face.

"But... it's good you were asleep... I'm glad you didn't feel anything." The grin wavers, the corners of his mouth fighting and failing to stay up. "... I left you alone, though. I'm sorry."

Zoro thinks back to that night, when she had left in the middle of dinner muttering something about just needing rest, that she was fine, and Zoro is sorry, too, for taking her word for it. For thinking it really was something minor that she would get over, like she always did.

And because of that, she died alone, on a ship full of people who she trusted with her life, who she trusted to protect her.

He grits his teeth, the lump of guilt hard in his throat, and vaguely wonders why Luffy is saying these things _now_ when he hadn't even spoken a word two days ago, when the crew had no choice but to bury her on this damn island that held no significance to her or any of them, because traveling back to East Blue with their nakama's corpse rotting on deck wasn't a very wise alternative, was it - especially since said nakama was the only one with the skills to get them back there in the first place.

"Still... still... we had lots of fun together, didn't we, Nami?" Luffy continues. "You and me and the crew. We went on so many adventures together. Thank you for leading us to the One Piece and helping me becoming Pirate King. It's too bad... it's too bad you had to leave so soon!" His voice cracks.

Belatedly Zoro realizes the Sea Kings had stopped wailing, that the winds no longer howled. Dark clouds still covered the sky but were dormant, the rumble of thunder absent.

There's a waiting lull in the air as Luffy, Zoro catches on, says goodbye.

"Don't worry, though, Nami." His eyes are closed, grin still in place, his raspy voice warm. "You're still my navigator. No one could ever replace you."

A light breeze passes over the hill, coaxing the pinwheel on the headstone to spin once more. Ever so slowly, Luffy pushes himself up from the ground, swaying slightly before gaining his footing. His hand reaches back to grab his straw hat and plants it roughly on his head. He stands next to his First mate, staring at the slab of white marble for a minute longer, expression now hidden behind the rim of his infamous treasure.

"I wish I could stay longer, but Jinbe can only hold the marines back so long. You know how persistent they are."

(Eyes closed, Zoro allows his lips to pull into a tiny smirk - _of course_ that's where the fishman disappeared to.)

"So for now, I have to go, but I'll be back soon, Nami." He hesitates. "...I won't be late next time."

And then it starts to rain.

Within seconds the two are soaked to the bone. But Zoro is thankful for it. The cold droplets mix with the warmth running down his face.

The Pirate King turns and starts the long walk back down the hill, back to the Sunny-Go and their waiting nakama.

"Let's go. Zoro."

And Zoro follows.

* * *

"Now."

"Their ship's still here."

"It doesn't matter. We've lost enough time already. We have to go now."

"Ehh? So bossy."

Two slim figures slip silently through the dense foliage, trudging uphill against the elements until they reach a clearing.

"This is almost too easy," the tall silhouette murmurs.

"Says the one who doesn't even have to do anything," replies the shorter one. "Why are you here again?"

"To make sure you don't screw up."

"Ehh?"

"At least the weather is on our side. Exactly what the captain predicted."

"Mm, Cap's really-"

"Alright, enough chat. Work, Libra."

Thunder booms across the dark sky. A sludge of mud dislodges from the hill and slides down to the foot of the forest below.

"Don't get sloppy."

"Well." Soft panting. "This isn't exactly a clean job."

"We don't want to leave a trace of us being here."

"Hai, hai."

A few more minutes of silence. Then-

"Okay, your turn."

There's a shuffling, a thump, then a grunt.

"Kami, what a pain."

Muffled snickering. "You're the one who wanted to come."

"Shut it."

"Meanie."

"Finish it up nicely."

"... What is that supposed to be anyway?"

"What?"

"That spinny thing."

"Forget about it. Nothing out of place, remember?"

"It's pretty."

"Focus, Libra."

"Haiii."

It poured and it poured. Lightning flashed across the sea, illuminating the clearing briefly in pale blue light. But the two figures were long gone.

Under the cover of rain, they stole away into the night.

* * *

Cold.

It's so cold.

So, so cold.

She tries to shift, to find the warmth he had left before. But she can't - she can't move at all. Not her hands or her eyelids or her feet. She is numb.

It's dark. Very dark.

She can hear. She can hear a slow and heavy thumping sound surrounding her. It thumps irregularly - twenty times in one minute, she counts. It is a reassuring, familiar sound - and slowly, morbidly, she realizes it is her heart, not at all thumping like a normal heartbeat should.

She is not sure if she is breathing.

She is cold. So cold.

Voices. She can hear voices now.

They're hard to distinguish, low and murmuring. Calm.

The sharp prick to her arm, she does feel.

But she is not scared. Her nakama are here. There is nothing to be afraid of.

She slips into a white nothing.

* * *

"What does that do?" the captain asks warily, watching the yellow liquid slowly disappear as it's plunged into the woman's arm. He blinks as the needle is quickly removed and replaced with a band-aid with little skull crossbows on them.

"Keep her dead," comes the blunt reply.

"Right." He distractedly smooths his finger over the band-aid. "And how long for this time?"

"Long enough to complete the process."

"Meaning…?" His finger trails up her arm, brushing over cool smooth skin.

"A week tops."

A dissatisfied grunt. "Too long, doc."

"Hey, you wanted efficiency."

He reaches her cheek and coils a loose strand of orange hair around his finger, his cold gaze roving about her perfect figure until it lands on a silver locket around her neck. Unraveling his finger from its bonds, he lifts her by the back of her neck before yanking hard on the thin chain. With a soft clink, it breaks loose.

"You want that girl to… disappear, am I correct?" The frazzle-haired scientist asks, priming another needle with a clear substance.

The captain cocks his head, scowling down at the necklace. He shoves it in his pocket. "I want her gone."

The scarred man in the big round glasses grins, and in the blinking yellow light above it looks sinister. He snickers.

"Then patience, captain Yuuto. What you wish for, is what you'll get."

* * *

 **And the plot thickens...**

 **(*hides into a corner bc it's been, like, a year* Reviews are greatly appreciated! You guys have no idea how much your reviews and IMs have helped me continue writing!)**

 **I always have a good idea of how a story goes in mind but it's always a struggle to execute it in writing (grrrhhh!). And because I'm a bit of a perfectionist, it takes WEEKS (or in this case MONTHS) to finally get something acceptable down. The final product always ends up taking on a life of its own and is never the same as the draft.** **Tis the curse of the writer.**

 **But seriously. Thank you all for the support (even the flames!). They fuel me like you have no idea XD**

 **In the end, it's 3 am yall.**

 **I'm going to sleep. See ya!**


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